memory_alphafandomcom-20200223-history
Bem (episode)
Ari bn Bem, an erratic observer from the planet Pandro, secretly watches the crew of the USS Enterprise to determine whether the Federation is ready to open diplomatic relations with his advanced species. Summary :"Captain's log: Stardate 7403.6. The [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|''Enterprise]] is on a series of exploratory and contact missions. Traveling with us as an independent observer is a member of a recently contacted alien species. Honorary Commander Ari bn Bem is from the planet Pandro in the Garo VII system. We have taken up orbit around Delta Theta III, a newly-discovered Class M planet. A previous scouting mission has reported possible aboriginal lifeforms here and the Enterprise is to investigate and report." Captain Kirk says to Spock, Montgomery Scott, and Hikaru Sulu, "''Sensors report several groupings of aborigines. They may be dangerous so I want all of us to avoid any unnecessary risks. But these monitoring devices have to be planted. Lieutenant Uhura will be tracking us throughout." Kirk then instructs the landing party, "Now, if there is any trouble of any kind, beam up immediately. Don't try to be a hero." Everyone agrees. Though he has not joined the crew on previous six missions, Bem is adamant that he be allowed to accompany the landing party. Kirk is angry that he picked this dangerous mission to tag along, but he allows it. Bem (probably intentionally) sets the transporter to beam Kirk and Spock above a body of water on the planet below, so that they fall into the water. Then, Bem secretly replaces their weapons and communicators with non-functioning fakes. Uhura reports some peculiar activity on the planet. They have been tracking a non-network sensory stasis that is an anomaly resembling a sensor field, but without a scanning grid or other point of reference. Spock thinks something else is on the planet, perhaps something intelligent. Kirk orders continued observation, the ship to yellow alert, and to be notified if there is any change. While walking through the dense terrain, the crew scans for life signs emanating from the forest and Bem immediately runs toward them against direct orders. Kirk orders Scott and Sulu to remain with the equipment while he and Spock take off after Bem. The alien passes through the thick rain forest by splitting into several body parts and floating through the cracks. They later discover that he has been captured by a group of angry food-gathering aborigines, and the food seems to be Bem. The Enterprise discovers a force field developing around the small village, but they cannot contact Kirk or Spock. Uhura wants to beam Scott and Sulu back. Scott wants to track the captain and Spock, but Uhura insists that it is not proper procedure and Scott agrees to beam back with Sulu. At night, Kirk and Spock attempt to rescue Bem from the natives. Bem tells them that they are interfering with his observation but Kirk doesn't think Starfleet would approve of Bem's methods. Kirk and Spock are also captured. Kirk protests that they always end up in these situations and out of curiosity asks Spock why. Spock tells him, "Fate". Kirk tells Bem that he won't be able to rescue him. Bem says Starfleet told him that Kirk was their best captain but his actions to date belie this. Kirk claims if he had his phasers and communicators they wouldn't be in this situation. Bem explains that he took Starfleet equipment because he dislikes casual violence to accomplish one's goals and wanted to see how the captain could react without such devices. Bem escapes by making smaller pieces of his body and returns the devices to Kirk and Spock. Spock remarks, "Fascinating, a colony creature." Kirk puts Bem under arrest for trying to test them. The duo escapes only to be paralyzed by a supernatural force surrounding the area. The entity asks them what gives them the right to interfere with her 'children.' The people of this world are not for their observation. Their weapons will be "nullified" (destroyed). Kirk and Spock are again captured and Kirk says, "There are times, Mr. Spock, when I think I should have been a librarian." Spock observes "The job of librarian would be no less challenging, captain, but it would undoubtedly be a lot less dangerous." Bem tells Kirk he has mishandled the situation again and he judges him not to be an intelligent commander. He has failed everything he has attempted. He wishes Kirk "Luck," and leaves. Kirk contacts the entity, apologizes, and tells it they will leave immediately after they find Bem. The entity will allow them to contact their ship and demands they go now. Kirk calls for a search party to beam down with a tricorder to find the Pandronian. Bem is found and he realizes that he has failed in his judgment. Having been found "wanting" or "defective," Bem says that he must now die. The entity tells him he will not be killed because people must learn from their errors. The crew returns to the ship and Kirk orders a Federation quarantine of the planet. Spock ponders the existence of such a God-like entity and how they are all really children, in relation to the universe. Bem thinks he is still an eggling. The entity contacts them and urges them to go in peace. Memorable quotes "Lieutenant Uhura, I'm reading increased activity on the surface of the planet. The sensory anomaly appears to be expanding." : - Arex "How come we always end up like this?" : - Kirk, after he and Spock have been captured by the natives "Is Mr. Spock with the captain?" "Aye, they both went after Commander Bem." "Lieutenant Arex, start a sensor scan for Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. Landing party, prepare to beam up." "Lieutenant Uhura, we could track the captain down." "I'm sorry Mr. Scott, that's not procedure. We can't take chances!" "We're talking about the captain." "I know it, but we have to follow his orders. Stand by to beam up." "Standing by." : - Uhura and Scotty "Maybe we can beam him out of there. Kirk to ''Enterprise. Kirk to Enterprise. Kirk to Enterprise. This isn't my communicator!" "''These are not ''Enterprise communicators." : - '''Kirk' and Spock, after finding out that Bem switched their communicators with phonies "Classify?! What gives you the right to intrude here? This planet is not for your use! My children are not for your tests! Your weapons will be nullified." : - Delta Theta III entity "Take us out of orbit, Mr. Sulu. Let's go home." : - Kirk Background Information Story and Production * The title of this episode, "Bem", is an old science fiction term meaning "'B'ug 'E'yed 'M'onster." This episode's author, David Gerrold, selected the acronym – during production of Star Trek: The Original Series – for use as both the title of this episode and an alien featured herein, simply because he believed it would be fun to have an actual Bem in Star Trek, though that wish was not fulfilled for the original series and the character of Bem was never intended to be true to his namesake. (episode audio commentary) * As well as writing this episode, David Gerrold also wrote , , and the original premise for TOS: . In common with "More Tribbles, More Troubles", "Bem" was originally planned as a possible episode for the third season of TOS but was discarded for that series. (episode audio commentary, et al.) * The episode underwent some further development during the first season of Star Trek: The Animated Series, when associate producer and story editor Dorothy "D.C." Fontana collaborated with David Gerrold on the story. Gerrold later commented, "I had the 'Bem' outline, and Dorothy Fontana ... said, 'What else have you got?' And I said, 'Well, I've got this one, "Bem".' And we developed the outline and we developed the script, as well." (episode audio commentary) As had happened with the original series, however, the episode was again rejected. (http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/startrekmyths7.htm; episode audio commentary) Gerrold explained, "It turned out to be an extra script. They didn't need it." Fontana had bought the teleplay as the seventeenth script of the series, although the first season had only sixteen installments, so this episode was not produced at that time. (episode audio commentary) It was ultimately picked up by Filmation (along with other Season 1 rejects) for the second season, after Fontana left the series. http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/articles/startrekmyths7.htm Concluded Gerrold, "They grabbed this one, 'cause it was already paid for. And so that's how it ended up second season." (episode audio commentary) * Gene Roddenberry made several additions to this episode as, on each of many occasions when he had a meeting with David Gerrold, he made numerous suggestions about the story, to the point where Gerrold kept wondering how he could make the ideas work. One of these elements, which Gerrold didn't think the story needed, was the God-like entity that features in this version of the episode. (episode audio commentary; ) Gerrold recounted, "Gene said, 'How about they meet God on this planet?' And my gut level was, 'Haven't we done that one enough?' But Gene liked it, and I said, 'Well, let me see what I can do with it. " (episode audio commentary) The narrative's writer also recalled of Roddenberry, "His notes on 'BEM' were very confusing and he added elements that I felt pulled the story way off its original premise. When in doubt, Gene always had Kirk get into a fight with God." http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_david_gerrold.html Cast * Since Nichelle Nichols had always been eager to perform more than her usual actions as Uhura and because she was very popular with ''Star Trek'' fans, David Gerrold (who had a long-held fondness for the actress, himself) felt that she should play the character of the deity in this episode. Gerrold related, "After all these years of doing these [[Star Trek convention|''Star Trek conventions]] – we'd done two or three separate conventions – and seeing her in front of the audience and seeing how much the audience loved her and knowing that the audience just wanted to see more of her, I said, 'Look, let's have Nichelle do the voice of the god-creature here' .... I was very excited to see her do the voice of the alien intelligence." (episode audio commentary) * David Gerrold was also very pleased with the results of his suggestion, later saying of Nichelle Nichols, "''She was perfect because, if you listen to her, what she brings is such a marvelous quality .... Where she's doing Uhura, she has this strength that we hardly ever got to see in the live action show. And then, as this god character she has this command over everything. And I think this script demonstrates Nichelle's range, that she can do a lot of different things that she can never got to do on the live action show." (episode audio commentary) Gerrold additionally observed, "She shows her range. She gets to show Uhura being a very strong voice on the bridge, but then she does the voice of the alien intelligence and there she's a whole different character. And the range there is spectacular." ("Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series", TAS DVD) Production * David Gerrold suspected that, if this episode had been done for the original Star Trek series, its production would have been difficult. "The effects for 'Bem' probably would have been tricky," he speculated. Gerrold was of the opinion that one of the potentially problematic aspects, the design for the multi-part character of Bem, was made easier with animation. "In ''The Animated Series, we didn't have to worry about building a costume or finding the actors," related Gerrold. "''The animators just had Bem split apart into as many different pieces as they needed." ("Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series", TAS DVD) Continuity * This was the first episode that revealed Kirk's middle name, Tiberius. During TOS, it was not known what his middle initial, "T," stood for. It was David Gerrold who devised Kirk's middle name. He recollected, "I got the name from a book I’d read about the history of torture." ( ) The name's inclusion in this installment was preempted by an incident that occurred at a 1973 Star Trek convention that David Gerrold and Dorothy Fontana attended. "Somebody asked 'What does the T in James T. Kirk stand for? " recounted Gerrold. "And without really thinking, I said 'Tiberius. " ( ) At the time, Gerrold said the name as a joke, influenced by the fact that I, Claudius had recently aired on PBS. http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_david_gerrold.html Decades later, he remarked, "It got a big laugh and it became a running gag." ( ) When Gerrold was developing the episode "Bem" for the animated series' first season, he made the decision to write the name into the episode and Dorothy Fontana passed it by Gene Roddenberry. ( ; http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_david_gerrold.html) Gerrold later remembered how Roddenberry had responded; "He said, 'Sure, let’s go ahead. " ( ) The name stuck and was mentioned again in (thus making it "canon"). * The type 1 phasers are shown to have a thumb trigger in a closeup shot, but this is inconsistent with their function in other appearances. * This is the second episode where Lt. Uhura takes command of the Enterprise, following the events of . * This is also the first of two consecutive episodes that feature the concept of a practical joker aboard the Enterprise; the same concept appears in the next installment, . Reception * David Gerrold was ultimately highly satisfied with this installment. In a interview, he remarked, "When all is said and done, I looked at the episode again recently and thought, 'Well, it turned out better than I thought.' So I don’t have a lot of complaints." * In a video interview for StarTrek.com, D.C. Fontana cited this as one of her favorite installments of the animated Star Trek (along with , , and ). She also remarked that she believed this outing, in common with "More Tribbles, More Troubles", "very much got across the Star Trek feeling and mode." * According to Russell Bates, David Gerrold warned him, at one point, that this episode would be the series finale for Star Trek: The Animated Series, ending the series before – an installment that Bates co-wrote – had a chance to be broadcast. "David Gerrold upset me and my co-writer by saying that," Bates stated. http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_hs_russel_bates.html * In the unofficial reference book Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga (p. 19), co-writers Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross both individually rate this episode 3 out of 4 stars (defined as "good"). Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (CIC Video): Volume 6, catalog number VHR 2540, *As part of the ''The Animated Series'' DVD collection Links and references Starring * William Shatner as Captain Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock Also starring * Nichelle Nichols as: ** Uhura ** Alien entity * James Doohan as: ** Scott ** Ari bn Bem ** Arex Background characters * Sulu * Kyle * M'Ress * Six members of a Delta Theta III aborigine food-gathering party * Twelve Delta Theta III aborigines * [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel|Three Enterprise security squad members]] References Brownian movement; class M; colony creature; communicator; Delta Theta III; Delta Theta III aborigine; eggling; electrical storm; Federation scout vessel; Garo VII system; geology; god; heavy-duty tricorder; Honorary Commander; librarian; Loch Ness monster; mile; monitoring device; non-network sensory stasis; Pandro; Pandronian; phaser; Prime Directive; quarantine; rain forest; responder; sensor field; sensory anomaly; squad; stasis field; suicide; Vulcan nerve pinch; yellow alert |next= }} Category:TAS episodes de:Gefährliche Prüfung es:Bem fr:Bem it:Il comandante Bem (episodio) nl:Bem